Spying in Berlin
Witness History10 Marras 2021

Spying in Berlin

At the height of the Cold War the German city of Berlin was known as the spy capital of the world. Spies were operating on both sides of the Berlin Wall as tensions between democratic West Germany and communist East Germany meant governments on both sides of the ideological divide were desperate to find out what the other side was planning. In the early 1980s Nina Willner became the first female US army officer to lead intelligence missions into East Germany. For her there was an added poignancy to her work, as her mother’s family were living in East Germany while Nina was operating in East Berlin. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 the divided family was reunited and Nina wrote a memoir, ‘Forty Autumns’ about their very different lives. Caroline Bayley spoke to Nina Willner for Witness History about her experiences of the Cold War in Berlin.

Photo by Régis BOSSU/Sygma via Getty Images - The frontier between West and East Berlin.

Jaksot(2000)

Casablanca: Making one of Hollywood’s greatest movies

Casablanca: Making one of Hollywood’s greatest movies

When Warner Bros assigned twin brothers and screenwriters Julius Epstein and Philip Epstein to adapt a stage play for the big screen in 1942, no one could have predicted the impact it would have. Casa...

13 Maalis 10min

How Rang De Basanti inspired a generation

How Rang De Basanti inspired a generation

Released on India’s Republic Day in January 2006, the Hindi film Rang De Basanti, exploded onto the cultural landscape. In its first week, it shattered box office records and inspired thousands of you...

12 Maalis 10min

I starred in Pan’s Labyrinth

I starred in Pan’s Labyrinth

In 2006, Ivana Baquero starred in Guillermo del Toro’s Spanish-language film Pan’s Labyrinth. The film tells the story of an 11-year-old girl who meets mythical creatures on a quest to achieve immort...

11 Maalis 11min

My father directed Seven Samurai

My father directed Seven Samurai

Akira Kurosawa's film, Seven Samurai, is an epic three-and-a-half hour long black and white film set in 16th century Japan.It was released in 1954 and was the most expensive Japanese film ever made at...

10 Maalis 10min

Triumph of the Will: A Nazi propaganda film

Triumph of the Will: A Nazi propaganda film

In 1934, one of the most controversial propaganda movies ever made - Triumph of the Will – was filmed at the Nazis’ Nuremberg rally. The two-hour picture was directed by Leni Riefenstahl, once descr...

9 Maalis 10min

The invention of the mobility scooter

The invention of the mobility scooter

In 1967, American plumber Al Thieme promised his wife with multiple sclerosis that he would find her an alternative to a wheelchair. He came up with a battery-powered seat on wheels. He called it an ‘...

6 Maalis 10min

India’s first nuclear test

India’s first nuclear test

In May 1974 India successfully detonated its first atomic device. It had been developed in secret with the codename Smiling Buddha. India called it a peaceful nuclear explosion, though the experimenta...

5 Maalis 9min

Portugal’s worst train disaster

Portugal’s worst train disaster

On 11 September 1985 in Mangualde, central Portugal, an express train collided head-on with a regional train killing an estimated 150 people.The impact destroyed both engines and the leaking diesel ca...

4 Maalis 10min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

olipa-kerran-otsikko
kaksi-aitia
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
i-dont-like-mondays
uutiscast
joku-tietaa-jotain-2
poks
antin-palautepalvelu
kolme-kaannekohtaa
sita
mamma-mia
aikalisa
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
rss-murhan-anatomia
rss-nikotellen
rss-palmujen-varjoissa
lahko
meidan-pitais-puhua
rss-napy